"Master" Jesus

Jesus, the One I so greatly love. With all my heart, I love Him. However, I must ask myself, is He in His rightful place in my life? Have I allowed Him to be? Is He truly the Master of my life, and if not, what and/or who is? I call Him Master, and recognize Him as Lord, but have I really given Him such position and authority in my life? Let's take a look at what Jesus says about this:

Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am. If I then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. (John 13:13-15 KJV)

This verse offers us confirmation that indeed Jesus is "MASTER". He Himself tells us so. In the origional Greek understanding of the word "master" (from Strong's Concordance), there are descriptions of "master" that lead to human teachers being called such, but in what's to be shared, I will especially mention the meanings which can be applied to Jesus:

From the Strong's the meanings of "Master" are; Master;Teacher; Doctor and Apostle.

1. MASTER: Jesus: (revealed in John 13:13-15 KJV, above).

2. TEACHER:The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him (John 3:2 KJV).

In the NT, a teacher is "one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man":

Will any man of you who has a servant plowing or tending sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, Come at once and take your place at the table? Will he not instead tell him, Get my supper ready and gird yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; then afterward you yourself shall eat and drink? Is he grateful and does he praise the servant because he did what he was ordered to do? Even so on your part, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants [possessing no merit, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have [merely] done what was our duty to do. (Luke 17:7-10 Amplified Bible).

Though this meaning can apply to those who teach, it especially applies to Jesus, as He taught men (and still does today, through the Bible) the things concerning His Father in Heaven, as well as the duties of man. He taught a life of "responsibility" to men, of their duties, and how a man should properly function in his or her lifetime.

The Strong's Concordance also points out that the teachers of the Jewish religion are of those who "by their great power as teachers draw crowds around them i.e. John the Baptist, Jesus". We know that Jesus drew great crowds:

And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and [from] Decapolis, and [from] Jerusalem, and [from] Judaea, and [from] beyond Jordan (Matt 4:25 KJV).

Teachers were to be led by the Holy Spirit, as they were those of, or in "the religious assemblies of the Christians, who undertook the work of teaching, with the special assistance of the Holy Spirit"

3. DOCTOR: When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mark 2:17 KJV).

In this verse, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that those that are sick need a physician. He then continues to say that the reason He (as physician) came, was to save the sick (or in this case, the sinner).

Master's show men the way to salvation, by preeminence used of Jesus by himself, as one who showed men the way of salvation:

He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. (Col 1:18 Amplified Bible).

Preeminence according to the Strong's Concordance means "to be first, hold first place".

4. APOSTLE: Masters were known as Apostles, such as Paul. Master Jesus is known as "the" Apostle:Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Heb 3:1 KJV).

So, here we are given but a small outline of what it means regarding Jesus, as MASTER. But just before

I closing, I want to go back to the first scripture verse mentioned in this writing, and remind all of us "what" our MASTER is teaching us. Let's read it again, but, this time from the Amplified Bible:

You call Me the Teacher (Master) and the Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is what I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher (Master), have washed your feet, you ought [it is your duty, you are under obligation, you owe it] to wash one another's feet. For I have given you this as an example, so that you should do [in your turn] what I have done to you (John 13:13-15 Amplified Bible).

In this verse, our MASTER (Jesus) is instructing us to walk humbly before, and with one another. It is what Jesus calls all of His own to follow, however, if, in this life we are called to be masters (apostles, teachers, etc.), we must follow the Head MASTER ... Jesus. We must, like Jesus, as an example, wash one anothers feet. Yes, we can literally do so, but the lesson being taught here, is not so much on a physical level, as that of a spiritual one. What Jesus is referring to is that we "SERVE ONE ANOTHER".

Master Jesus, we come to You, again giving You thanks for Who You are "MASTER", and for Your powerful, life changing, Word. We ask Lord that the application of Your Word, be applied to our hearts, through the work of Your Holy Spirit, and that Your Word become a living reality in our lives. Help us to live as You lived Jesus, that our lives might be an example to those who may just be watching. May our lives lead them to You, our Lord and MASTER, amen.

May each of you be abundantly blessed of the Lord today. In His service ... Marcia